"Why do you say that?"
Obito Uchiha narrowed his eyes, clearly provoked, as he stared at Ryūjin Uchiha.
"Obito, you're from the Uchiha Clan too. You should know about our ancestor, right?" Ryūjin asked casually, shifting the topic.
"You mean... Indra Ōtsutsuki? Of course I know," Obito replied without hesitation.
Indra's existence was recorded in both the Uchiha clan's history and Konoha's archives. There was no way he wouldn't know.
"Then you also know the story between Indra and Asura Ōtsutsuki, right?" Ryūjin continued, his tone steady and confident.
Obito nodded slightly.
"They were brothers, both sons of the Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki. Later, because of their different beliefs, Indra left the village they built together."
He frowned.
"What are you getting at? Stop going in circles."
Ryūjin didn't react to the impatience.
"Don't you think something about that story feels off?"
Without waiting for a reply, he continued, his voice calm but deliberate.
"Indra believed in power. He thought strength could solve everything. Asura, on the other hand, followed his father's ideals and believed in cooperation and bonds."
"Their conflict kept growing until it split them apart. In the end, Indra left, just like Madara Uchiha left Konoha."
"And it didn't stop there. Indra later turned against them completely and attacked."
Ryūjin paused briefly, then looked directly at Obito.
"So tell me this. If the stone tablet at Naka Shrine really contains the method to save the world, left behind by the Six Paths Sage, why would he leave it to Indra's descendants instead of Asura's?"
Obito froze slightly.
"From Hagoromo's perspective, Indra rejected everything he stood for. So why entrust something that important to his lineage?"
The question landed harder than expected.
Obito didn't answer immediately.
The truth was, it made sense.
When Hagoromo died, Asura was the one by his side, not Indra. Logically, anything important should have been passed down through Asura.
Still, doubting the entire plan based on that alone felt like a stretch.
"That's a bit of a reach," Obito said, frowning.
Ryūjin shrugged lightly.
"Fine. Then let me ask you something else."
Obito's gaze sharpened.
"You're not done?"
"Let's assume the tablet really was left behind to guide the Uchiha Clan," Ryūjin continued. "Then why make it so difficult to read? Why require the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan just to understand it?"
Obito answered immediately.
"Because it's dangerous knowledge. It can't be exposed to just anyone."
"Then wouldn't it make more sense for the clan leader to safeguard it and pass it down directly?" Ryūjin countered without hesitation.
He continued before Obito could respond.
"Our clan barely understands the Sharingan itself, let alone the Eternal Mangekyō. We don't even have a clear method to awaken it."
"So what happens if no one in future generations achieves it? The entire plan just disappears?"
Ryūjin's tone remained steady.
"That kind of method is unreliable. Someone like Hagoromo wouldn't make that mistake."
Obito fell silent again.
Even Madara Uchiha had struggled to fully understand the eyes. His own awakening had been more accident than design.
Compared to that, Ryūjin's argument felt far more practical.
Still, it wasn't enough to shake his belief completely.
"This is all just your speculation," Obito said slowly.
"Of course it is," Ryūjin replied. "But I didn't stop there."
Obito's unease grew slightly.
"What else?"
"When I read the tablet with the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, I noticed something strange," Ryūjin said, watching Obito closely. "Some of the characters looked... altered."
Obito's expression changed immediately.
"Are you serious?"
"If that's true, then the Infinite Tsukuyomi might not be what we think it is."
A brief pause followed.
Then Ryūjin waved it off.
"Or maybe I'm wrong. I can't confirm it."
Obito let out a quiet breath, though his thoughts were already unsettled.
"Then why tell me all this?"
"Because I can't see the full truth," Ryūjin said plainly. "That tablet was created using Yin-Yang Release. The Eternal Mangekyō isn't enough."
He looked directly at Obito.
"But you have the Rinnegan. If anyone can see through it completely, it's you."
Now Obito understood.
Ryūjin wasn't just talking. He was pushing him toward something.
The idea of checking the tablet himself began to take root.
Even if he didn't believe everything, verifying it would cost him nothing.
Still, his pride wouldn't let him show it.
"You expect me to waste time on this because of a few guesses?" he said coldly.
Ryūjin smirked slightly.
"Waste time? I'm talking about a possible conspiracy behind the Infinite Tsukuyomi."
Obito gave a dismissive look.
"Oh? Then who's behind it?"
Ryūjin answered without hesitation.
"Someone manipulated the tablet to target Madara."
His voice carried quiet certainty.
"The plan was never about saving the world. It was bait."
Obito's eyes narrowed.
"Go on."
"It explains everything," Ryūjin continued. "Why the tablet was left for Indra's descendants. Why only the Eternal Mangekyō can read it."
"Because it was meant for one person."
"Madara."
"And it worked. He abandoned Konoha, followed that path, and ended up dying at the hands of the First Hokage."
Obito didn't interrupt.
The theory sounded absurd at first, but it held together better than expected.
"So who did it?" he finally asked.
Ryūjin answered instantly.
"Danzo."
Silence.
Obito stared at him like he'd just said something ridiculous.
"...You're joking."
Ryūjin paused, then coughed lightly.
"I meant his teacher. Tobirama Senju."
That made slightly more sense.
Ryūjin continued smoothly.
"You know Tobirama's attitude toward the Uchiha. And don't forget, he killed Madara's brother. There was already bad blood."
"For someone like him, setting up something like this isn't impossible."
Obito didn't buy it so easily.
"You said the tablet was made with Yin-Yang Release. How would Tobirama alter it?"
For a brief moment, Ryūjin paused.
Then he shrugged, completely unfazed.
"This is Tobirama we're talking about. The man created countless forbidden jutsu."
"If anyone could find a way, it would be him."
He said it so naturally that even he almost believed it.
Obito went quiet.
The explanation wasn't perfect, but it wasn't full of holes either.
And more importantly, it gave him a reason to check the tablet himself.
Seeing that the idea had taken root, Ryūjin didn't continue pushing.
He activated Kamui and disappeared.
Moments later, Obito returned to the real world.
"I've done what I can," Ryūjin thought as he sat beside the Nine-Tails in the distance. "What happens next is up to him."
Inside his own thoughts, one thing was certain.
If he were in Obito's position, he would go check the tablet.
Not long after, Obito emerged from his Kamui Dimension.
"Still alive? Took you long enough. I thought you were done for," Black Zetsu said as he surfaced from the ground alongside White Zetsu.
Obito's expression darkened slightly.
"Let's go."
"What about the Nine-Tails?" Zetsu asked.
"We don't need it," Obito replied coldly. "I'll destroy Konoha myself."
Zetsu gave a low chuckle.
"That works too."
A Kamui vortex appeared, pulling Obito in.
Zetsu sank back into the ground.